Golden State Killer suspect’s case will play out in Sacramento courtroom

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Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, who authorities suspect is the so-called Golden State Killer responsible for at least a dozen murders and 50 rapes in the 1970s and 80s, is arraigned, Friday, April 27, 2018, in Sacramento County Superior Court in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

SANTA ANA – The case of Joseph DeAngelo – who prosecutors accuse of being the serial killer and rapist known as the Golden State Killer – will play out in a Sacramento County courtroom, prosecutors announced in a unified front on Tuesday from an Orange County news conference.

He was previously charged with 13 counts of murder for slayings that occurred across the state beginning in 1974, and on Tuesday an amended complaint with all of the charges was filed in that Northern California courthouse.

Besides the murder charges, he faces 13 felony counts of kidnapping to commit robbery and a variety of sentencing enhancements.

Law enforcement officials have said that DeAngelo is believed to be responsible for more than 50 rapes as well. But the statute of limitations for many, if not all, of the cases that only involved rape was believed to be long past. But prosecutors have noted that evidence from those alleged rapes could be introduced at trial if it it helped illustrate a similar motive and method that tied together all the various offenses.

DeAngelo, a 72-year-old Citrus Heights resident, has not yet entered a plea.

He has so far been charged with four slayings in Orange County, four in Santa Barbara County, two in Ventura County, two in Sacramento County and one in Tulare County.

The prosecution of the Golden State Killer is already one of the largest criminal cases in state history. DeAngelo was arrested, and identified as the suspected Golden State Killer, after evidence from some of the crime scenes was matched to samples taken from his car door and from a discarded tissue.

Earlier in the year, officials from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that one of the options under consideration was a single, consolidated trial, in which a team of prosecutors from all the affected counties take part.

In recent years, one of the most high-profile examples of a consolidated trial ended with a conviction in Orange County for Rodney Alcala, who killed women in both Orange and Los Angeles counties. More recently, serial killer Andrew Urdiales is currently awaiting sentencing for killings that occurred in Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties.

Sean Emery is a crime and public safety reporter for the Register who covers state and federal courts and criminal justice issues. He has worked for the Register since 2006, previously covering breaking news, the city of Irvine, the Orange County Great Park, and the city of San Juan Capistrano.